The question of sound deadening insulation throughout the range

Depends on what the final tires end up being. Different manufacturers have different noise levels, as some put sound deadening materials into the actual tires in the inner tube. Sidewall doesn't really make a difference vs tread pattern when it comes to noise. Wranglers have tires with massive sidewalls but are noisy as hell due to off-road tire tread noise.

If the Limited/XLE actually have better sound deadening materials built into the wheel wells/hood/doors then it would be quieter. I haven't heard anything specific on this though. Some cars have acoustic glass to prevent sound travel through windows but I don't think the Prius is at a price point where this is feasible.

 

I would think the LE would be the quietest. Usually at this price point (30K) most car manufacturers don't adjust the sound insulation between trim levels. It is a simple add if you know how. I've discovered that Land Rover uses a door skin covering like Kilzmat, a 1" thick felt pad that is only attached in a few key places with a black type of caulk AND then a plastic vapor barrier. This tri level approach works wonderfully well to deaden road noise to almost nil. But the price point of $70K back in 2002 it made sense. Some of the Newer Autobiography Range Rovers are super quiet but for 130K they should be. I have a friend who jut delivery of a Tesla Plaid and I'm sure it is quiet...but I wonder if Elon had the engineers install sound deadening material in an already quiet car? My friend is not one to take apart cars but maybe he could ask?

 

Toyota doesn’t change insulation on different models,
It’s definitely tires

 

Not just tires, but wheels too. The aero covers will reduce the noise of the spokes thrashing the air. They may have first gone on the gen2 to reduce noise.

 

News?

 

Does Limited and Premium have laminated side windows?

I noticed a big difference in road noise in Highlander XLE vs Platinum.

 

Yes, in the front. The windshield and front door windows are laminated. The rear window, rear door windows, and the little triangular windows in both front and back are tempered.

And I believe it makes a difference in road noise, but I don't have personal experience to verify. When I went to pick up my Limited back in June of last year, my salesman mentioned that he had recently driven the different versions at a Toyota sales training event in Minneapolis. He said the Limited was noticeably quieter than the other trims, though he didn't know why(honestly, I knew way more about the car than he did, but at the time neither of us knew about the difference in the glass). Normally I'd take his comments with a big grain of salt, but I had chosen and committed to the car months previously and he had no need to upsell(or ability as it wasn't like there was a lower-trim Prius on the lot anyway).

 

From the front seat there's a sort of "surround sound" effect where there is more road noise coming from behind you, from the non-laminated glass in the rear windows. Turn your head a bit, or lean back to listen to the window behind you, and you'll notice the difference..

And going back to earlier comments:

This is wrong. Going through the EU parts database and Japanese brochure, there is a difference between bottom and higher trims in the behind-dash insulation.

As far as I can tell AHXHB model codes (XSE+, Limited, Japan's Z, and Europe's mid and top spec) get the better dash insulation and the laminated front windows.

In Japan the G (AHXGB) gets neither, which suggests the US XSE and XLE get neither, but I'm not certain. Europe doesn't get AHXGB models, so EU parts database doesn't help.

Europe bottom spec and US LE/SE (AHXEB) don't match a Japanese trim - they're between their U and G. Will have the lower insulation.

The Japanese U version (AHXKB) doesn't even get the insulation above the engine on the underside of the bonnet.

 

does anybody think that adding insulation to the wheel arches would improve the road noise?
and
does anybody know anything about Toyota implementing active noise cancelling into the multimedia system?

 

Aren't the windshields in all modern vehicles laminated?

 

Yes! This was the first thing I noticed in my XSE. I keep thinking the back window or trunk is open due to the wind noise coming from the back.

 

Yes. The trim difference here is just in the driver and passenger windows.

 

Yes. I was just being thorough in describing all the different sections of glass on the car.

 

So you can confirm the XSE does have the laminated front side windows? I'd been guessing it wouldn't.

 

Without riding in a Premium, I guess I cannot "confirm", but what I'm hearing sounds like what you are describing.

 

Read the labels on the glass?

 

Or just roll down the window a bit and look at the cross-section of the window glass. If it's laminated, you'll see the glass/plastic film/glass sandwich.

 

Turd gen Prius spare tire well is like a giant woofer resonating red noise up into the cabin and it's more apparent when the seats are folded down. 2023 Corolla non-hybrid exhaust can be heard when your foot is held to the floor. Gets pretty loud back there with the back seats folded down. All you hear is the exhaust. Sounds like some increase the exhaust pipe and it's struggling to get the air out

 

I guess I never spent much time looking at the etched labels on the glass, but you are correct. The front window says "Lamilite" (or something like that) and all the others say "Temperlite", so I stand corrected. The XSE does not have laminated glass on the front row windows.

I wonder if the wind noise I'm hearing is mainly coming from the trunk space or if it's windows. I have the rear seats up and the trunk cover/shade in place. I do have the all weather floor/trunk liners. Do you think the rubber mats transmit more noise than the carpet mats would have?